One of Austin-Young's favorite portrayals of the annunciation — a favorite theme of Christian art depicting the archangel Gabriel's appearance to Mary to announce that she is going to bear the son of God — is by Henry Ossawa Tanner. It conceives of Gabriel as a vaguely humanoid shaft of light.

You may have seen the angel tags hanging on a tree in your local Walmart store. Maybe you’ve been one of the giving community members to participate in the Angel Tree program. “When they grab the tag,